Catching Magic
by Muse Scroll
Summary: After trying out a new spell, Twilight and some of her friends find themselves in a new world and on another adventure. Who knows what could happen? Disclaimer: I own nothing. Rated for mild violence and language.
1. Chapter 1

__**A/N:** I saw an image on dA that was of Twilight Sparkle riding a Shiny Rayquaza, looking badass, and a caption reading "Your Arguement is Invalid". That inspired me to cross Pokemon with MLP: FiM. Enjoy, dear readers.

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><p><em><strong>Catching Magic<strong>_

"Geez, could you have gone a _little_ easier on us with that spell?"

"I said I was sorry!"

"Well, ah think we should focus on where we are rather than fightin', girls."

"That would probably be a good idea."

"Uhh... girls?"

The soft voice of this last one was barely heard, and was easily ignored. So she tried again.

"Girls?" Nothing. "Girls!"

Finally, the others stopped arguing and paid attention.

"Look," The soft-spoken voice gestured to something nearby in a tree. "Do any of you know what kind of animal that is?"

It was a little bird that was colored red, white, and blue. What in the world could possibly be such a creature? Noticing that it had their attention and realizing what had been said of it, the bird gave a huff and flew off.

"Oh! I didn't mean to affend him!" Clearly, the soft-spoken one was a bit upset at this.

"Ah think he's fine, sugar cube," The southern-accent one soothed her friend. "Probably jus' went to get some food or sometin'."

"Wait, you saw something over there?" A voice called from nearby, making the four freeze, just before... _something_ came into view, with that bird from before on his shoulder.

The two stared at the four. The four stared back.

"They certainly don't look like any Pokémon I've seen before," The guy said, pulling out a little red device. When it failed to find any data, he sighed. "And that just proves they aren't."

"Taillow, tai low!"

"Taillow, they _do not_ look like Ponyta!" The creature said exasperatedly to the bird on his shoulder, who launched into the air and landed on a branch nearby. "Do you want me to show the picture on the Pokédex?"

The bird, apparently called Taillow, nodded, and came back over. After a few moments, the bird blushed embarrassedly.

"It's fine," The creature said with a grin, gently ruffling the bird's feathers. "You're still learning. I'm just gonna have to fail you this time."

He laughed when he was swatted upside the head with a wing, before turning to the other four in front of him.

"So... what are you, anyway?" He wondered.

"I think we should be askin' you that, bud!" The cyan pegasus said, flying up close to his face. He blinked in surprise.

"Whoa, you _talk_?" He exclaimed, shocked at this realization. "Didn't see that one coming..."

"Duh, of course we talk!"

There was a pause as the tension between everyone there grew, before the one on two legs slowly stepped back, raising his arms up in an attempted sign of peace.

"Maybe we could talk about this calmly? I don't think a fight is all that necessary right now..."

"He's right, let's just talk about this," Another one said, coming forward. This one was colored a deep lavender, with a small unicorn horn on her head. The cyan one crossed her forelegs with a huff.

"Come on, I've got camp set up this way," The strange, two-legged creature said, as he led the way. "I'm Henry, by the way. This is Taillow."

Said bird gave a cheerful caw from his shoulder. When they got to camp, the four froze at what they saw – a bunch of odd creatures staring.

"Guys, don't stare, you know it's rude," The two-legged said, calmly walking forward. "We're here to be friends. Anyway, this is Blaziken."

A tall two-legged creature with orange/red fur and legs bulging with powerful muscles waved to the four happily.

"This is Kirlia," A small creature seemingly dressed in a skirt colored green, and with two pink horn-like objects on her head. Said being calmly nodded to the new arrivals. "That's Mightyena."

The four gulped at the menacing look on the dog-like creature. After a moment, the creature smiled and nodded in greeting. The shy one of the four wasn't all that convinced, but the others gave sighs of relief. Then Henry gestured to a gorgeous snake-like creature.

"That's Milotic," He said, before gesturing to the one next to her. "And the one next to her is Metang."

The two mentioned gave polite greetings, the Metang sounding very metallic and hollow as he hovered there.

"That's everyone for now," Henry confirmed, as Taillow went over to a branch. "What I'm wondering is what you four are, and why you thought it would be safe to wander out at this time of night."

"What time is it?" The lavender one asked, coming over at the creature's insistince to relax by the blazing fire. He checked his watch.

"Almost nine. Why?"

There was a growl from one of the four. After a moment, Henry and the other creatures laughed, making the orange one blush.

"We already ate, and there's extra berries here," Henry said, reaching for his backpack. After a moment of searching, he pulled out what he was aiming for. "Here, these oughta fill you all up."

"What are they?" Again, the lavender one.

"You just _love_ questions, don't you?" Henry said, looking at Kirlia out of the corner of his eye. "Reminds me of a certain someone I know..."

Kirlia, blushing embarrassedly, muttered something that resembled 'don't know what you're talking about'.

"Anyway, these are Pecha Berries," He answered. "Sweet as can be, and can cure almost any poison."

"They cure poison? That's just awesome!" The cyan one asked, just as she took a bite. "Oh man, you were right – these things are really sweet!"

"So, what are ya, sugar cube?" The orange one asked.

Henry blinked in surprise, "You've never heard of a human before?"

The lavender one swallowed her food first, "I've read about them, but we've never seen them before."

"Well now you can say you have!" He grinned, making the cyan one snort in amusement. "So what about yourselves?"

"We're just ponies," The lavender one replied, apparently having had her fill after a couple of berries. "I'm Twilight Sparkle."

"H-Hi..." The shy, pale yellow one said quietly. "I-I'm Fluttershy..."

"Pleased to metcha, name's Applejack," The orange one said, tipping her hat carefully.

"Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in all of Equestria!" The cyan pegasus boasted proudly, her grin matching her attitude.

"Equestria? That's the region you're all from?"

"Well... it's not really a region..." Twilight said, blushing with embarrassment.

She shortly explained that she had found a spell that was supposed to let her and three others see into another world. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy had been with her at the time, so they volunteered to help their friend. What they hadn't expected, was for the spell to actually _take_ them to the world they were viewing.

"So now you've accidentally found yourselves stuck here since you don't know the spell to get back?" Henry guessed at the end.

"No, that's the strange part," Twilight said, frowning now. "I _know_ the spell, but it just won't work. Something's cutting me off."

"Probably a legendary or something."

There was a pause, "A legendary?"

Henry reached into his pack, and pulled out a book. Twilight's eyes shone with glee at the thought of reading, making him and her friends laugh.

"Great, now she's going to spend hours reading," Dash sighed, as she lay down on the surprisingly soft grass. "I mean, she already does that at the library she lives in."

"Living in a library and spends hours reading? Must be her dream come true," Henry joked, as the lavender pony levitated the book in front of her. "So that's your magic?"

Twilight did nothing but nod. She was already absorbed into the book. Snorting his laughter, Henry moved to finish putting away the cooking items that had been drying for the past few minutes.

"Just what is so fascinatin' about that book, Twi?" Applejack wondered.

"It's got information on the basics of this world, but most of it is about legends," Twilight said, sighing with exasperation at spotting another one. "Like this one, the Deity of the Sea? Yeah right."

"No, it's true," Henry said. "Each and every one of those titles apply to a specific legendary Pokémon."

"Pokémon?" Dash said, trying out the word for herself. He looked to the four creatures nearby. "That them?"

"And a bunch more," Twilight cut in, as the Pokémon nodded. Mightyena didn't, as he was already asleep. "The book says there are over 500 known species of Pokémon."

The other three ponies gaped at her. Henry grinned at their reactions.

"Anyway, back to the legends," He said. "I really doubt they're fake. They may be exaggerated and all, but I bet they're real."

"What makes ya say that, sugar cube?" Applejack asked. "They're just ol' Mare's Tales, ain't they?"

"Well, legends have to start somewhere," Henry reasoned. "It wouldn't make sense to just come up with a random story. All writers, whether they write fiction or not, get their inspiration from somewhere. So it's only logical that those legends would be somehow based in truth."

Twilight opened her mouth to say something to this, but paused. This man was right. No matter what she thought of, she couldn't dispute his logic, and therefore snorted and went back to reading.

"Whoa, never met somepony who could beat Twilight at her own game!" Dash grinned.

"Shut up, Rainbow," Twilight blushed.

"I don't know about you girls," Henry cut in, stretching. The ponies blinked at the popping sound they heard from his back. "But my team and I are going to bed. Big day tomorrow."

"Are you alright?" Fluttershy asked, worried about what they'd heard.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just stretching, that's all, don't worry. Anyway, don't forget to put out the fire when you're done."

The ponies noticed the human set up some sort of fabric and lay on it, his team surrounding him and falling asleep around the same time that he did. The girls looked at each other.

"Does that book say anything about weather control?" Rainbow asked Twilight, who shook her head.

"I think the world controls it," The lavender unicorn said, making the other ponies gape. "I know it's weird, but I guess the creatures here don't have the ability to control it, so they probably just let it control itself or something."

Rainbow paused to think, then grinned, "I guess that means I have the entire time off!"

"But ain't that what you always do?" Applejack teased, making Dash roll her eyes.

"No, I do _some_ work! Just... you know, not all at once."

Applejack chuckled, before deciding that the human had the right idea and lay down for rest. She kept one eye open just long enough to speak to Twilight, "Don't stay up too late, sugar cube, it's bad for your health."

"I'm not a foal, Applejack, I know that," Twilight blushed, even as she smiled at her friend's playful jab.

Fluttershy quietly followed her farming friend's lead, and was soon asleep as well.

"So what's the news on this place, Twi?" Dash asked. She had somehow procurred a piece of cloud to sleep on, and the unicorn decided it easier to just not ask. "Anything in those old myths on something that could race me and actually keep up?"

"Actually, yeah," Twilight responded, flipping a couple pages back and smiling at Dash's sound of surprise. "There's a legend on a Pokémon of the Hoenn region named Latios. It talks about how he folds in his wings and can fly faster than the speed of sound. He also has the ability to bend light like his sister, making him either invisible or to give him a sort of disguise."

"Now _that_ is cool."

Twilight rolled her eyes at the statement. She remained silent, easily ignoring the soft snores coming from above her as Dash snoozed. After a few minutes, she yawned and with a burst of magic, snuffed the fire, and soon found herself asleep as well. This world was already beginning to hold her interest, so she would need to be well rested for tomorrow's adventures, as would the others...


	2. Chapter 2

_**Catching Magic**_

"Morning, guys, I'll get..." A pause. "Is she sleeping on a _cloud_?"

"Yup."

"...But I thought you were the one with the magic?"

"All ponies have some kind of magic. Unicorns can just use it at will."

"...So Pegasi can manipulate clouds?"

"And Earth Ponies are good at taking care of crops and such."

"Makes sense," Henry said, as he grabbed the cooking items. "I guess."

"Well, ah'm gonna miss mah poor apple farm," Applejack sighed.

"Are there others to take care of it?" Henry asked, getting thankful affirmation. He paused his cooking as a thought came to mind. "Uhh... you don't eat meat, do you?"

"Meat? Gross," Rainbow Dash cut in, giving a face. "What, you eat it?"

"Yup."

The girls gave him a look of disbelief and disgust and, in Fluttershy's case, horror.

"Humans are omnivores, as are many Pokémon," Henry explained calmly. "There are some of us that don't eat meat, but the vast majority of us do. It's just a part of how we survive, just as you survive by _not_ eating meat."

"I don' mean any offense, but tha's disgusting," Applejack commented. Henry laughed politely.

"I suppose it is," He grinned, as he gestured to the small pile of berries he was cutting up. "But that's why I keep berries on hand."

"Hey, what's this one?" Dash asked, looking at a bright red one. Henry just grinned as she took a bite – and immediantly regretted it, gasping loudly at the shockingly spicy fruit. "OW! HOT HOT HOT HOT!"

"That, Dash, is a Tamato Berry," Henry laughed, along with the other girls and his team. "Spiciest berry there is. Here, this should help."

Dash eagerly grabbed the banana-like berry, and immediantly took a bite. The sweetness of it was nice against her burning tongue, and she scarfed it down. It helped some, but not as much as she'd have liked. She was offered a blue one, and when she took a bite, the mix of flavors overwhelmed the strong spice and made her grimace, but she finished it anyway – and found her tongue was feeling _much_ better, even as it throbbed slightly.

"That _suuuucked_..." She sighed, glad that the burning sensation was gone. She carefully ignored the her friends' laughter. "That was as bad as the rainbows back at the factory."

Henry paused in his cooking, blinking at this statement, "You have rainbow _factories_?"

"Yup."

"...Weird," The human said with a chuckle as he shook his head, before turning to his team as soon as he finished setting up the breakfast. "Alright, guys, come and get it!"

The meal was nothing more than bowls of berries. Dash, having had her fill of Oran Berry and Nanab Berry – as Henry said they were called – and that torturous bite of the spicy one. After several minutes, the group of Pokémon were finished and once the dishes were taken care of, the man turned to his team and started his routine of returning them to their Pokéballs. The ponies gaped at what they witnessed as he did so. How did such large creatures fit into such small spheres?

"Our technology is pretty highly advanced," Henry stated when Fluttershy wondered if they were alright. He explained this calmly, understanding that the girls didn't know of it. "If it wasn't safe to use Pokéballs on Pokémon, their production would've stopped a long time ago, so don't worry."

Fluttershy nodded, grateful that the creatures were unharmed.

"My team and I are headed to my hometown for our next badge right now, so why don't you come along and see what it is that we have for our cities?"

"How far away is it?" Twilight asked.

"About a day's walk, so it's not that far. Less if we run about half the time."

"I'm not that athletic," The librarian said sheepishly.

"No, but Dash is, and from what they've said of you, you're really good at magic."

"Jus' where are ya goin' with this, sugarcube?"

"Can't Dash get more clouds, and with Twilight's magic, can't you just ride on one and keep up or something?"

Twilight blinked at this. It would be a good idea. Plus, she, Fluttershy, and Rainbow could take turns pushing the cloud, herself using nothing but magic. The spell for walking on clouds lasted about 24 hours, so the travel speed would be increased for the rest of the day. After a few minutes, that is exactly what was going on, the two non-pegasi ponies riding atop a cloud that Rainbow Dash volunteered to pull, Twilight making a magical link between said Pegasus and the soft, fluffy stuff beneath her hooves. She decided that, with the magic making sure they would be safe on the cloud, she would get in some more sleep and lay down to do so.

"Didn' sleep well, sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah, I had this odd dream of riding something through the clouds," Twilight said with a frown.

"Was... everything alright?" Fluttershy asked gently. The unicorn smiled gently.

"I think so, but it kept me from sleeping well, so I'll sleep while we ride."

After a few moments, the lavender unicorn was asleep, and resting comfortably. RD gave a soft snort.

"Worrying over a dream? Seems a bit silly to me," She scoffed.

"I don't know," Henry said. "That book I lent her has stuff on legendary Pokémon that can control what a person dreams. So clearly, dreams are important."

"Whatever. How fast of a runner are you, anyway?"

"Probably not as fast as you, seeing as I'm stuck to the ground and don't have wings. But my shoes help speed me up."

"Your shoes?" Applejack asked, unsure and wanting to see this.

Henry smirked as he looked down the trail. Suddenly realizing that he'd been leading them to it all this time they'd been talking, the girls that were awake watched carefully. The human launched forth, grinning as a hissing sound was heard from his shoes – before he rocketed forward with the sound of a powerful fan. The ponies froze and stared, before Dash went after him. Thankful for Twilight's spells made to sustain themselves this time and keep them safe, AJ and Fluttershy held onto the cloud for safety as they caught up to Henry, whom had paused to let them catch up.

"What're with them shoes?" AJ called to him.

"They're Running Shoes," He explained. "They're made to suck in air, compress it, and blow it out with power at the bottom. It makes me go faster than normal. Neat, huh?"

"That was cool!" Dash agreed eagerly.

"I guess. Now can we go?"

There was a series of nods, the mares on the cloud settled in for the ride, and watched as the scenery flew by.

_1234567890987654321_

Henry finally slowed down after a while, Rainbow Dash having kept up easily. The human and ponies chatted as they went.

"And this, girls, is Petalburg City," Henry said with a straight face. "The first place I want to stop by is the school. Careful, though. Considering you aren't human, people will assume you're Pokémon of some sort, and that since you're with me, you're on my team or something."

"Even though we're not?" Twilight asked.

"Humans like to make assumptions... what should we do in the meantime, if you girls don't want to do that?"

"I have an invisibility spell I could cast on us. It'll last until the evening."

"Going invisible and stalking the town? Yes!" Dash cheered with a hoof-pump.

"I... I hope we don't scare anypony..."

"Well, considering the ghosts that sometimes go through the town, I doubt you'll be that much of a surprise if you're invisible."

Twilight scoffed, "Ghosts aren't real."

"Maybe not in your world," Henry grinned. "Here, they are very real. They can also be very dangerous, so keep an eye out."

He said this as he led the way, the unicorn having casted the spell. Dash was still fine with dragging the now-invisible cloud behind her, and stayed close to the human, whom seemed to know the town better than he had originally let on.

"How well do you know this place?" Dash asked him. She noticed that nobody else was paying enough attention to hear her, and if they did, they assumed it was a Pokémon of some sort.

"...It's my hometown," He answered with a tone of finality that _screamed_ he didn't want to talk about it. He was walking towards a building with an odd image engraved at its entrance, but when he spotted the sign, he gave a disappointed sigh. "The gym's _closed _until next week? Great... guess we could stop by the school, give us _something_ to do today."

The ponies glanced at each other, who in their right mind would willingly go to school when they didn't have to? Twilight not included. The young man easily ignored the looks, leading the way to the nearby building. It was a lot bigger than the little school house back in Ponyville, that was for sure.

"How... sugar cube, how many o' ya does this thing hold?" Applejack asked from her perch on the cloud.

"At the very least? Two thousand. And that's considered a small population for this school."

The ponies stared, gaping openly. Not that Henry could see it, but he smirked anyway, knowing from the shocked silence how surprised they were. After a few moments, Dash noticed that they were being left behind, and quickly caught up, following closely as the human went in and left the door open long enough for them to do the same.

"Must be class time," Henry mused, entering the office immediantly. After a few moments, he was back with a badge attatched to his chest. "And now to visit!"

The ponies followed, and were amused when he quietly opened the door to a class where a teacher was lecturing on... something more advanced than what even Twilight knew on Pokémon. The moment she finished, Henry grinned and spoke up.

"And that's how the world was made!" He said, clapping jokingly and making the class and teacher jump in surprise, before laughing. Although a small group of them scowled at him, which he easily dismissed.

"Welcome back, Henry," The teacher, her badge naming her as Ms. June, said with a smile. "Have you finally decided to return to attending school?"

"Not all that necessary to attend a school for entering the league when I'm going for the badges," Henry smirked.

"You're a trainer now?" A teen exclaimed with a surprised grin.

"Yup," Henry said, pulling out his trainer card and showing it. "Official as of a few months ago."

"How many badges do you have, then, Henry?" The teacher asked.

"Four, as of two weeks ago," His grin widened at the way the class stared, Ms. June giving her congrats. "I shouldn't interrupt your class for too long, I'll visit the other teachers."

"Running away to hide your fake badges, eh?" A voice called from the back of the room, making Henry freeze. From the tension in his muscles and the looks the person got, the ponies could easily tell how insulting such a statement was.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" He asked slowly, turning to look with cold eyes to the three in the back. "Something of our hard work being faked?"

"Yeah, I doubt you actually won them!" Sneered the one, his goons agreeing with nods and harsh looks on their faces.

"Stop this at once, Yuka!" Ms. June said, and was about to go on a tirade of brow-beating before the trainer stopped her.

"Wait, teach," Henry said. "If you think you're so good, Yuka, let's put that to the test. You three against me, three one-on-one matches in a row."

"What, later? Fine with us."

"Actually, with Ms. June's permission, I was hoping for _now_," Henry replied.

"It would certainly be a good example of how battles go after you experience them outside of school," She agreed with a nod.

In no less than five minutes, Yuka and his two goons, Kelra and Thume, all with only one Pokéball, prepared for battle against Henry.

"What's going to happen?" Twilight asked Henry carefully, who smirked.

"Just wait and see," He replied. "This is one of the main events of this world." He turned back to the other three, the teacher acting judge and the rest of the class at the sidelines. "Since I'm the one that challenged you, I'll choose my Pokémon first. Deal?"

"Then pick it already, loser!" Yuka scoffed. "We'll pick who goes first on our side afterwards!"

Henry grinned, grabbing a ball off his belt. He tossed it up once, caught it on the button, and as it enlargened, tossed it up again; catching it a second time, he threw it to the battlefield.

"First choice – Blaziken!"

The class stared – when did Henry have a Blaziken? The three on the other side just scoffed, before sending Kelra forward, who let out a Marshtomp.

"You think your team can win against the best battlers of the school?" Kelra taunted, as the fight began at the teacher's call. "Marshtomp, water gun!"

Even as Henry started to speak, Blaziken was already moving, "Dodge!"

With practiced ease, the fire-/fighting-type avoided the blast of high-pressured water.

"Double Kick!"

Once again, as soon as the first couple of syllables were registered, Blaziken was already in motion. Marshtomp didn't stand a chance – he was quickly pummeled multiple times by the powerful muscles in Blaziken's legs.

"Follow through, Sky Uppercut!"

With a slash straight to the chin, the water-/ground-type was shot into the air. Kelra was shocked at how fast the opponent was moving, shocked into silence and uncertainty of what to do next.

"Finisher – Double Kick again!"

Leaping up after Marshtomp, Blaziken was quick to smash him with multiple kicks once more, slamming him straight into the battlefield and leaving quite the dent – and leaving him unconscious. She, however, landed with ease.

"So... _cool!_"

Henry grinned over his shoulder to where he heard Dash's gasp of surprise at Blaziken's show of power. Said Pokémon came over.

"Good work, you got yourself a fan," He chuckled to her, making her grin, before turning to the other three. "C'mon, who's next? Don't tell me you're doubting yourselves now – because we're still going! Next is Mightyena!"

With a growl and a look of sheer ferocity, the dark-type landed with ease on the battlefield, ready to go all out. Thume was pushed forward, and let out a Butterfree.

"You got lucky with that fire beating water, but that won't happen again!" Thume taunted.

"Is that so? Well, have you noticed that Butterfree doesn't seem as confident as you?" Henry said, pointing out the truth. With the menacing look on Mightyena's face, it wasn't all that surprising – just before the second round began. "Mightyena – _Flamethrower_!"

With a deep breath and the sound of something hot roaring up his throat, the wolf-like creature opened his maw – and the four ponies jumped in shock as flames erupted from it and hit the Butterfree dead-on. The poor bug was just barely hovering there, smoking from the massive damage, before collapsing to the ground. A one-shot take-down.

"Good work, bud," Henry said, scratching at his Pokémon's ears. Said creature groaned at the pleasing sensation, leaning into it with a lop-sided grin. "Well, Yuka? You're up."

Yuka growled as he watched Henry release a one of the most beautiful Pokémon he'd ever seen – a Milotic.

"Since when did you have _that_? And in that case, where'd you get the other two?" Yuka demanded with a start. "You only had a Torchic when you left!"

"That's what happens when you go travelling, Yuka," Henry smirked. "You make friends. Now are we starting or not, coward?"

Yuka growled and let out a Grovyle. Said Pokémon tensed, ready for battle, but across the field, the trainer's eyes narrowed at the condition on the grass-type.

"...I don't like the condition he's in, Yuka," Henry said coldly, Milotic noticing it soon after this was said. "Surely you haven't been _neglecting_ him, have you? Because that's worthy of an arrest by the police."

Grovyle's eyes were slightly more sunken in than they should be, and his skin was of a slightly darker color than that of a healthy Grovyle's. Milotic glanced at her trainer, the two of them having a shared thought; with a nod, she gave her permission.

"And if I am, what's it to you?" Yuka snapped harshly.

"Let's make a deal," Henry said, smirking. His old rival understood almost immediantly, as did Grovyle – and Yuka smirked, agreeing to it immediantly. A moment later, the battle started.

"Leaf Blade!"

Grovyle's wrist leaves glowed and quickly formed blades, although slower than they should've been. Henry and Milotic found it to be almost _too_ easy for the counterattack – a Twister from her tail that sent the grass-type sprawling. With a follow-through that consisted, in order, of another Twister, Wrap, and a point-blank Ice Beam, the grass-type was easily defeated considering his weakened state. The class gaped, as Henry walked forward, Blaziken already at work gently thawing the defeated Pokémon.

"You cheated! You must've! I never lose!" Yuka cried defiantly, angrily. Henry gave a bark of laughter.

"Dude, _if _I had cheated, not only would you _not_ have known, it would be for a far more important battle."

"But there's no way you won against us fairly! We've been the best in the school since you left!"

"Yuka, it's time for a reality check – outside of these walls, those titles mean _nothing_. A gym leader, a _professional_ trainer, would've not only beaten you with the same ease that my team and I did – but they would've reported you for neglecting to take care of Grovyle properly. Now we had a deal. Or are you going to be as cowardly as when I was still attending the school?"

"But... but how did your team react so fast, so easily? It doesn't make any sense!"

"Because we have a bond that _you_ would _never_ understand."

"Yeah, and what's that?"

"Trust!" Henry said with full confidence, smirking proudly at the three that surrounded him. "After all of the things we've gone through over the past few months, it would be almost impossible for us to _not_ trust each other as much as we do."

He paused to pull back the sleeve to his gray long-sleeve coat, showing some of the black undershirt at the shoulder in the process. There, on his left arm, was a long and twisting scar that stretched from just below his wrist all the way to his elbow.

"Remember that horrible blizzard and terrible snow conditions this past winter?" He said. He noticed out of the corner of his eye his old teach gasping at where he was going. "It was just me and Torchic back then, stuck out in the wildnerness where there's no such thing as air conditioning. We were low on rations, healing items, and had trouble staying warm in the tiny cave we found – right where we found Mightyena. He was a Poochyena then, and he was fighting off a bunch of Sneasel to protect Feebas, trying to keep her alive just long enough for the blizzard to pass.

"Torchic and I jumped right into it to help – she ended up being poisoned badly. We had no choice but to stay, and I was out of antidotes. Poochyena went out to hunt down the nearest city for help. It took him three days, all of which I spent taking care of both Feebas and Torchic. By the time the helicopter was able to come for us, having had to wait for the blizzard to clear, I'd had to resort to fighting those annoyingly persistent Sneasel myself – which is where this came from. By the time they rescued us, all three of us were suffering from frostbite, severe exhaustion, malnutrition, and for me, severe blood loss. We nearly _died_ out there, Yuka. Since then, there's been a trust between all of us that nobody could ever come close to understanding."

"_Trust_?" Yuka scoffed harshly, crossing his arms. "How can something so _pathetic_ make you strong?"

"It's something that, with your attitude, you could never hope to understand," Henry replied easily. "Now keep to the deal – or I _will_ contact the police."

Yuka scowled, and handed the Pokéball to Grovyle over to Henry, the technology acknowledging the change in ownership. The bullies stalked away as the bell rang, grabbing their bags. After the class had left, Ms. June came over.

"Thank you for teaching them a lesson in humility," She said gratefully. "And I'm sorry of what you went through. How did the news not hear of it?"

"Because I made sure that it didn't. I didn't want publicity of any sort. Anyway, I have to get this Pokémon taken care of. See you later, teach."

As he left the gym, Rainbow Dash followed, she and the girls remaining silent for a while as he led the way for a place to stay. The Grovyle's Pokéball had been sent to the storage system of the world, with said Pokémon in the device. Using his PokéNav, he sent a message along to Professor Birch, stating the incoming grass-type had been won in a bet and needed to be taken care of immediantly.

"After that chaos I think we deserved time at home," Henry said to Blaziken, having returned the other two.

"Blaze," She nodded in agreement.

"Ah didn' think ya'll went through such things, sugar cube," AJ commented from her perch on the cloud. Man, those things lasted a while.

"I don't usually talk about it," He shrugged. "Anyway, my place is a little out of town."

"Is it because you want to get away from the city?" Twilight asked.

"No, it needs the space."

"Wait, what?"

"You'll see," Henry smirked.

The girls just looked at each other, unsure of what he meant by that, but decided to wait it out for now...


	3. Chapter 3

_**Catching Magic**_

"What'dya mean about your home needin' space, sugarcube?"

"You'll see, don't worry about it," Henry said. "May as well get rid of the spell, Twilight; if we're going to be staying there for a week, it'll just be easier for everyone to know the truth."

At this point, the girls – aside from the pegasi – were walking, having dismissed the cloud with a kick from Dash. With a flash, the invisibility spell was cancelled.

"Umm... Mr. Henry...?" Fluttershy began to ask, catching the trainer's attention, although he had to strain to hear her soft voice. "Are... the P-Pokémon alright...?"

"There's no need to worry," He said comfortingly, turning to Blaziken. "They didn't get hit, so they're fine. Right?"

"Blaze!" Blaziken affirmed with a grin. Fluttershy gave a soft smile.

"Oh... I was so worried that they would be hurt..."

"Why _did_ you have them fight like that?" Twilight asked.

"Like I said, it's one of the main events of this world. Pokémon battles are a regular occurance here, but we have laws and regulations ensuring that the Pokémon don't get too badly hurt, just in case."

"Yes, but _why_ do you do it?"

Henry paused at that, having to think for a while.

"Well... are there any groups in your world that any of you have tried to prove yourselves to?"

"Dash is always tryin' for The Wonderbolts," Applejack cut in. "And always crashin' into mah farm with her stunts."

"That's because The Wonderbolts are freaking awesome!" Dash exclaimed with great enthusiasm, grinning widely at the mention of her idols. The other girls rolled their eyes at her attitude. "I've been trying to get in for _ages_!" 

"Then that's one of the main reasons for why we have battles," Henry said. "The main reasons to do them are for sport, to stay active and healthy, and most importantly, to prove our abilities. We battle to show what we're capable of to the world; to prove we're worthy of being respected. We aim to prove this to the world, to every last person watching, to each other, and most importantly, to ourselves. That sound about right, Blaziken?"

The fire-/fighting-type nodded seriously. That was _exactly _how she felt about battles. The four ponies decided that such an answer was the best they were going to get for know. Besides, they froze at the end of the driveway that had suddenly appeared. After a few steps, Henry and his team member noticed, looked back, and laughed.

"This, girls, is my home," He said with a grin. Blaziken, knowing him well enough, noted that the smile was painful and rather forced – something she could understand. She despised this place as well.

"It... It's so _big_!" Dash said quietly, landing along with Fluttershy, too shocked to stay in the air.

"Well, it's technically a mansion, so... yeah."

"Sugarcube, how... how big is this place?"

"Uhh... I don't know that, I'll have to get back to you on that. Are we going in or not?"

The girls caught up quickly at that, watching as the human put a thumb on a little screen, before also putting his eye in front of a slot. After a few moments, a voice resounded nearby.

"_Welcome home, Master Henry."_

"Long time no see, Ryan," Henry greeted through the speaker as the gates started to open, the speaker on a nearby stand. "We've got some guests with us, would you be so kind as to set up some rooms?" 

"_How many, sir?"_

"Ryan, we've been over this, you don't need to give me those honorifics," The trainer sighed with a roll of the eyes. "As for how many... actually, is Evelyn still in?"

"_Yes, there have been no changes to the staffing in your absence."_

"Then please meet us in the lobby. There are some finer details we need to discuss in person."

With confirmation at this request, Henry calmly led the way through the long walkway towards the front door. The four ponies walked slowly, in awe at the exquisite architecure and detail of the building. Was that a _fountain_ in the middle of the driveway? And... how big was this place, anyway!

"Welcome home, sir," Ryan said with a bow as he held the door open. The server carefully kept his face blank at the four odd candy-colored creatures that followed, although he was pleasantly surprised by the large Pokémon. "Torchic reached her final evolution, sir? When did this happen?"

"During our fourth gym battle, Ryan," Henry said, after greeting Evelyn. After a short pause, where both servers knew what was coming and the air grew tense. "Has... mother made any attempts to contact me?"

There was a pause, "No, she has not."

Henry sighed, "Can't say I'm surprised."

The ponies were distracted, openly gaping at the inside of the building. Plush carpet, large winding staircase to the second floor, and hallways that went on for several dozen feet.

"Evelyn, Ryan, I met these four by accident on my way through the forest as I headed here," Henry said, catching the attention of the ponies. "I must ask that you spread none of this to anyone."

The two nodded, before they were given the short version of who the ponies were, where they had come from... that sort of information. After some time, the Ryan and Evelyn understood the situation, and at Henry's request, began to set up four guest rooms.

"W-Wait... _four_ rooms?" Dash said, snapping out of her trance at this. "Okay, seriously, how big is this place?"

"Well, Miss..." Evelyn paused, having stopped on the stairs to answer the question.

"Rainbow Dash."

"Miss Dash, this mansion holds seven full-sized bedrooms plus two master suites spread over both the first and second floors, it has a large garden and access to a limited area of the forest, a state-of-the-art security system, the latest kitchen ware, and the basement holds a hot tub, full-size swimming pool, and two bowling lanes. The entire area of owned property is about one square mile, although very little of that area is actually maintained."

"Land sakes, that's as much as a corner o' mah farm!" Applejack exclaimed, eyes going wide.

"I'll show you the way to your rooms later, how about the royal tour?" Henry asked.

"Sir, are you going to let out your team?" Evelyn called from the second floor.

"I will when we visit the backyard."

"Should I have Mr. Mime bring some food there?"

"Please do."

With a nod, she left to prepare the rooms quickly and efficiently, pausing at an intercom nearby to relay the instructions to the kitchen. After a moment's decision, it was decided that Blaziken would take the rest of the team out to the backyard now instead of later. Leaving for said area with the Pokéballs in hand, the Pokémon left, leaving Henry to give the tour. As he went through, he made sure to show off the best parts for last. Namely, his room, the backyard, and the basement.

"This is your room?" Twilight gasped, walking in. It was ridiculously sized – almost as big as the main room of the library back home. The bed was the largest the ponies had ever seen, something which Henry admitted was a bit ridiculous. The walls were covered in posters of Pokémon, champions, and leagues.

"It's where I spent most of my time," Henry said. "When I wasn't out back playing with Torchic, I was in here with her playing board games and such."

"Torchic? I heard tha' Ryan mention her, too," Applejack wondered. "He said sometin' of her reaching her final evolution, whatever that means."

"In this world, after getting enough experience in battle or whatever, Pokémon evolve into different forms," Henry explained, going over to a small shelf nearby and grabbing a small book. He flipped a few pages. "This is what Blaziken used to be; a little Torchic."

"Does this happen to all Pokémon?" Fluttershy asked curiously, getting a shake of the head.

"No, there are some that don't evolve at all."

As he said this, he started to lead the way down the hall, before turning and heading outside. There, the group of them would find the Pokémon relaxing, having eaten and assisted in cleaning the dishes quickly.

"How's the tour of the backyard going, Blaziken?"

Said Pokémon grinned, pointing to Mightyena, whom was openly gaping as he walked around slowly, trying to take it all in. And only partially succeeding.

"You gonna stop by the basement later?" There was a nod. "See you down there, then, I'm sure that's where these four are gonna be the most entertained... and probably everyone else, too. I'll ask them to set up the tub."

With that, Henry led the way away. It took a bit more persuasion to get Fluttershy and Applejack to leave, the both of them greatly interested in the outdoors, but they were interested in the basement. Sure enough, true to Evelyn's word, there was a pool. And a hot tub. And two bowling lanes in their own room.

"And here's something that I'm sure Twilight will love and that Evelyn forgot to mention," Henry grinned, as he opened a door. The lavender unicorn gasped with joy, zipping inside in seconds, looking around with predictable enthusiasm. Her friends laughed, getting her attention and making her blush. "Book enthusiast much?"

"Dude, she lives in a _library_, books are all she thinks about," Dash said with a grin.

"Kinda like how pulling off tricks and stunts are all _you_ think about?"

The other girls giggled at the way she failed to come up with a comeback, before opting to just huff and say nothing. After a few minutes, the human went about setting up the hot tub so it would be ready at the push of a button, and made sure to show them where it was. It didn't take long for the group of them to split up to relax. Fluttershy and Applejack went up to the backyard, where they found spots to chill; the cowpony was chilling out under a big tree, while the caretaker decided to investigate the gardens, see what there was.

"Hey, Dash, wanna show me some of your stunts?" Henry asked, getting an enthusiastic nod and agreement.

Once outside, he watched her rocket off into the sky and immediantly begin doing everything she knew, minus the big one for the fact that it would destroy the mansion and quite a bit around it. But by the time the first hour was done, Henry was still there, a stern look on his face as he watched her come in to land, exhausted from all the practice.

"You're really well coordinated and certainly have all of those tricks written to muscle memory quite strongly," He complimented, pausing a moment to think. "But, no offense, your endurance sucks."

"Wha – hey!" Dash exclaimed, frowning with frustration at this. Henry raised his hands in a calming gesture.

"Like I said, I meant no offence," He continued. "But look at yourself – it's only been one hour, and you're already exhausted to the point where you can hardly breathe!"

Dash froze. She _was_ huffing and puffing quite a bit. The harder stunts took so much out of her, though!

"Your idols, The Wonderbolts, the team you're trying to get into? At this point, your endurance wouldn't be good enough for them. I can almost guarantee that they train just as hard as you do, but they have to last for _at least_ four hours. You lasted _one_."

"Yeah? So?" She didn't want to admit it outloud, but this guy was right – and he'd only seen her routine _once_!

"I've been training Taillow for long enough now that his endurance for such tricks and stuff is around two hours. At first, he could only last, what? Fifteen, twenty minutes? We'll be working on it some more tomorrow. Why don't you join us? If you can get your endurance up to about two and a half hours, you'll be an even better candidate for that team you love."

"How do I know your training is as good as you say?"

"You don't," Henry shrugged. "You can either ignore the offer, or you can join us. It's up to you."

Dash bit her lip, and went off to think about it. With another shrug, the human started back towards the basement, where he could get some bowling in. He paused when Applejack trotted over, a frown apparent on her face.

"Jus' wha' did ya say to Dash?" She demanded, her accent getting a touch thicker.

"I told her exactly what I thought about her skills as a flier," Henry responded patiently. "She's really good, but she only lasted an hour; I seriously doubt that a practice with The Wonderbolts lasts only an hour, they probably last four. So I offered to let her join training with Taillow and I tomorrow to get her endurance up."

Applejack blinked, she clearly didn't expect that to be the reason, "She wen' by, an' ah thought ya'll said sometin' ta make her upset. Sorry fer doubtin' ya."

Henry told her it was fine, and spotted the garden behind her.

"Hmm... you said you work on a farm, AJ?" He asked.

"Yuh-huh."

"Wanna help me harvest some of the berries over there?" He pointed to the trees. She grinned.

"Be glad to!"

As soon as they walked into it, she noticed that there were rows of bushes as well as large trees. She knew exactly how to get the trees from experience, but the bushes? Probably leave them to her friend. She grabbed a set of baskets, balancing them on her head and trotted over to a tree of what appeared to be large blueberries.

"Jus' wha' are these, sugarcube?" She asked, a moment before she gave a kick and made every last ripe berry fall into the baskets she'd set out. Henry raised his eyebrows at the method of harvesting.

"Those are Oran Berries," He answered. "Remember Dash eating that Tamato Berry? The first one I gave her was a Nanab Berry, one of the sweetest there is. The second was an Oran Berry."

"Do they do sometin' special?"

"Try one, then I'll tell you."

AJ paused, and after finding one that seemed ripe, took a big bite. With a grimace at the mix of flavors, both pleasant and disgusting, she forced herself to finish it.

"Feel energized?"

With a pause, the cowpony blinked and realized that he was right – it felt like her energy was suddenly overflowing.

"Each berry has a special thing to them. Oran and Sitrus Berries are known to safely speed up the body's healing process, and it also gives an energy boost. These ones here are Rawst Berries; they heal burns."

AJ blinked, and looked about. There was a large variety of berries in this garden, and she wondered just what all of them did. As the two of them worked together, Henry was more than happy to answer her questions of the items, her interest growing as he did so. By the time half the large garden was harvested from all the talking, night was falling.

"Whoa, when did Luna's night come out?" Applejack wondered upon noticing this.

"Luna?" Henry asked.

The cowpony realized who she was talking to, and explained, "She's one o' our princesses, she's in charge of raisin' the moon at night."

Henry had a perfect poker face upon hearing this. "Your... princess... raises the moon...?"

AJ laughed at the way her said this, "An' our other princess raises the sun."

He looked like he wanted to twitch or something, but decided to just shake his head and continued his journey to his room. Then he paused.

"Wait, do you girls even know what rooms you're staying in?"

AJ took a moment to think, before shaking her head. The other three were in the main lobby, waiting to be shown to their guest rooms. Henry's Pokémon, being led by Blaziken, were taken to their own space – a sheltered area in the garden. The four ponies were utterly shocked by the amount of detail in the guest rooms, but shrugged it off as part of the fact that if he could afford a mansion, this was normal.

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"Hey... Henry?"

"What's up, RD?"

"...RD? Seriously?"

"What? It works!"

'RD' scoffed, "Anyway, I was... hoping to take you up on your offer..."

"Offer?" Henry said, tilting his head in confusion. He received a smack to the shoulder, making him grin and laugh.

"Jerk."

"Takes one to know one."

Dash rolled her eyes, despite laughing a bit. "What's the plan for now?"

"Now? Warm-up stretches, of course! Can't properly do training without being all warmed up!"

Dash smiled as she watched the little bird Pokémon stretching his wings, and was soon doing the same. She paused at seeing Henry stretching.

"Why're _you_ stretching?"

"Well, why not? Anyway, you ready?"

"Of course!"

Henry smirked, "Well, then team up with Taillow, and follow his moves for now. They're simple, but after a while, it'll have to just be him. There are some things that you can't do that he can." 

"Are you saying I can't fly?" Dash got up into his face with a frown.

"No, I'm saying there are moves that you are simply incapable of performing, for the simple fact that you aren't a Pokémon."

"Oh? Like what?"

Henry raised an eyebrow, and turned to Taillow, Dash backing up a bit to watch this.

"Taillow, you see that target I set up over there?" There was a nod. "Think you can ace it?"

With what was very obviously a smirk, the bird Pokémon launched into the air, did a backflip; and as he flew low and close to the ground, he vanished, even if only for a moment. Then the target, a single berry, was smashed into pieces. Afterwards, the bird Pokémon calmly landed nearby. 

"Wha... wha..." Dash honestly tried to say something, but she just couldn't get a word to form.

"Like I said, there are things that only a Pokémon is capable of doing," Henry shrugged, then grinned. "Still think you've got the guts to do this?"

The tone of challenge in his voice snapped her to attention and made her grin, "I'm not out yet!"

"Then let's get started!"

With that, Dash began to join Henry's Taillow in endurance training...


	4. Chapter 4

_**Catching Magic**_

"Oww..."

A chuckle was heard as someone asked, "You alright?"

"You're evil... you didn't say... your training was... so tough!" A wince as this was said loudly. "Ow!"

"Hey, you _chose_ to join."

"I know, but do you have to be so _brutal_?"

"Well..." Henry paused to think for dramatic effect. "Yes."

Dash rolled her eyes, laying on her back from exhaustion. She was pleased to note the human was tired, as he'd been doing his part of increasing his own endurance in the training. However, Taillow was laying beside her, looking just as out as she was.

"I should have you two train together more," Henry grinned. "You're both so freaking competitive, you pushed each other more than anything I could've done."

"So you're sayin' I'm at fault for this?"

"Well, at least a little bit."

Dash laughed a bit before wincing, "Feels like I'm never going to get up ever again."

"That's what the hot tub is for, RD."

She giggled quietly at the nickname, "That is seriously the weirdest name I've ever been called."

"Glad you approve!" Henry chuckled. He waited a moment. "Do you two need a lift to the hot tub?"

Dash didn't like admitting to weakness, even if it was blatantly obvious. But before she could say a word, the human had gently grabbed her hoof and hoisted her onto his back for a little piggyback ride to the mansion.

"Don't forget Taillow," She said into his ear, her exhaustion starting to get the better of her.

Henry chuckled, "Not a chance."

On his way inside, he got Blaziken to pause in her own stretches to help him bring the two in. She nodded, and after grabbing her teammate, followed her trainer to the basement.

"What's wrong with Rainbow Dash?" Twilight said, having just woken up and on her way to the library.

"She joined Taillow and I in our endurance training and pushed herself a bit too far, that's all," Henry smiled to the unicorn, whom giggled.

"That sounds like her," She agreed. "She's asleep."

"I'm sure she is. Now c'mon, I could use your help getting her in the tub."

The lavender pony was happy to help get her friend into the water, where the pegasus was put to rest on the high shelf and her wings gently opened so that they would get to recover in their open position, since it would be better for them. Taillow carefully followed his new friend in, gladly sinking in up to his neck in the wonderful water.

"You gonna enjoy some books again, Twilight?" Henry asked.

"I was looking at them yesterday," She nodded, the two of them leaving their friends in the tub, Blaziken opting to join in the relaxing. She could train again later. "They're very interesting, but all the ones I looked at for the Pokémon types mentioned stuff that I think they're joking about."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Well, we saw the... flamethrower, I think it was, that Mightyena used, to the fire-types made sense. We saw the water-types and grass-types as well, and the flying just makes sense with Taillow. But psychic? Ghost? Really?"

"Yes, really," Henry said with a smirk. "I know for a fact they're real. Kirlia's a psychic-type. She's able to communicate via telepathy, use telekinesis, and more importantly, she's good at fighting with psychic energy. I've also personally been spooked by more than a few ghosts here in this town. They are definitely real."

"But _how_?"

"I don't know, I'm not a genius," Henry said with an apologetic shrug and a grin, making the unicorn roll her eyes. "You'll have to do what you do best – read."

She giggled, "Then I guess I should do that."

"You have fun with that."

Twilight smiled at her new friend's joking manner, as he turned around and went to join in the hot tub; after changing into swim trunks, of course.

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A groan as she shifted.

"Ya'll feelin' alrigh', sugarcube?"

"Hrrfffnngg wazzat?"

"I think that's a yes," A male chuckled.

"'mwake..."

"Wha'd she say?"

"Something that sounded like 'mwake'."

"I think ya broke 'er, sugarcube."

"It certainly seems like it, huh?" A hand gently shook her shoulder. "C'mon, Rainbow, you don't want to miss lunch, do you?"

"I'm up, I'm up," Rainbow said sleepily, as she forced herself to stand and stretch. She blinked when she realized she wasn't nearly as sore as she was earlier. She started to look around, and realized that her skin was all wrinkly from having soaked in the hot tub for as long as she had been. Slowly stretching up and out of the tub, she shook the water off her feathers. "How long have I been out?"

"An hour or two, not much. Feel better?"

"Mmm, yeah. Stilll a little sore, though."

"Well, ya sure did a number on yerself with that trainin'."

Dash rolled her eyes, "Not _my_ fault this guy is an expert at torture."

"Not my fault you _chose_ to join us," Henry grinned. Dash grumbled under her breath something about him being a brat. "Sorry, what was that? Something about me being awesome?"

The pegasus rolled her eyes, swiping at her friend with her wing as he and AJ laughed.

"Twi in the library?"

"Naturally."

"What about Fluttershy?"

"Out talking with Milotic. Those two are gonna be friends, I'm sure of it. And AJ's been helping me harvest the ripe berries from the garden."

"Her favorite thing, I'm sure," Dash grinned to her friend, who gave a grin of her own.

"Those berries are mighty interestin'," She admitted. She reached with her hoof back to the little pocket hidden on everypony, near the cutie mark, and pulled out a bulbous yellow one.

"I _still_ don't understand how that works," Henry commented, shaking his head at the sight. Dash and Aj knew he meant the pocket and item-holding. "Is it some sort of natural magic or something?"

"Same kind of magic that lets me walk on clouds," Dash nodded, accepting AJ's gift thankfully. "So what's this one?"

"He said it's a Sitrus Berry," The cowpony explained. "It's 'upposed to make you feel better."

"Like that blue one? That thing was tasted horrible!" Dash exclaimed this as the three of them walked outside, even as she took a bite. "Huh, not bad..."

After a few more bites, she finished it rather quickly. She blinked at how she felt afterwards – it was almost as if she had never been tired!

"Whoa. That's some powerful stuff."

"Sitrus Berries are like the Oran Berries, same family, anyway. 'Cept the yellow ones are rarer, harder to grow, and more potent. They also taste a lot better."

Twilight looked up from where she was reading, smiling as she spotted her friend, "I see the sleepyhead is finally awake."

Henry spoke up, "Certainly took long enough."

He received a smack from Dash for his trouble, rousing a chuckle from him.

"So what exactly are we staying here for?" Twilight asked, curious. She became even more curious at the human's smirk. "I mean, what was that gym for? Is it just a place for people and Pokémon to work out?"

"You'll just have to wait until next week."

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"Looks like it's open," Henry said, as he noticed the note from before was gone, and that it had a welcome sign. Knocking, a man answered quickly.

"You must be here for a gym battle," The man said with a smirk. Then he blinked. "Who're your ghost friends?"

"I should've known you would be able to sense them," The trainer grinned. "We'll explain inside, if that's alright?"

"Perfectly acceptable," The man said, allowing them inside and showing the way to what was the same arena as in the school across the street. Once there, and the doors secure for privacy.

"Alright, Twilight, you can cancel the spell."

After the ponies appeared out of thin air, the man did nothing but blink and raise an eyebrow. Henry was quick to explain that an accident had brought them here, and that, no, they were not Pokémon. Once this was clarified, the girls' friend turned to them.

"This is one of the main events of this world, and it's why I'm travelling," Henry explained patiently. "And Fluttershy, don't worry. Once it's over, everyone will be alright."

The soft yellow pony was a bit confused at this warning, until the battle actually started moments later. The gym leader introduced himself confidently as Norman, a Spinda walking about confusedly in front of him. The ponies weren't sure what to make of such a creature, although Dash covered her mouth to hold back a snort. Before Henry was Metang, the metallic Pokémon focused with all its power and ready to go. The ref, expertly ignoring the spectators, gave the rules.

"Spinda, Psybeam!"

"Metang, Metal Claw!"

The metal creature shot forward, wincing at the harmful psychic beam, its claw glowing menacingly and ready to strike – which, once it had closed in close enough, it did that very thing. Gasping at the way the two Pokémon were fighting, the ponies stared in shock; sure, they had seen it before at the school, but this gym leader was ten times tougher than those bullies at the school! Fluttershy had to cover her eyes with her hooves, unwilling to watch the brutal interaction.

"Metang, listen to me!" Henry called to his team member, whom had been affected by Teeter Dance. "Bullet Punch!"

Thankful that his first cry had gotten through to his Pokémon, he watched as the normal-type was hit by attacks that were but a blur to all who watched. The ponies watching, even Fluttershy as she heard each strike land, flinched from how painful that must've been for the Spinda, especially as the final strike deal a critical blow, sending the poor normal-type back and down for the count.

"Spinda is unable to battle!" The ref called. "The challenger wins the first battle!"

"Good work, Metang," Henry congratulated the Pokémon, whom had snapped out of it at that point. It smiled, before being returned for a bit of rest.

"Is this what he had us wait for?" Twilight frowned. "I can't believe they'd do that to the Pokémon!"

"Sugarcube, he explained it 'afore," AJ said, wincing in sympathy when Blaziken smashed into Linoone with Double Kick. "They do it ta prove themselves."

"I know, I know, but..."

Covered in marks from the Linoone's powerful Slash, Blaziken was being pushed harder and harder. This little guy was tougher than he appeared! She attempted a Sky Uppercut, but he just stepped aside and smacked her with a Tackle.

"C'mon, Blaziken, Double Kick!" Henry encouraged, hoping it would help her – and he was right.

With those two powerful legs of hers, she smashed Linoone with strong hits multiple times – but it retaliated over and over with those two same attacks, Tackle and Smash. Frankly, they were annoying, but the little guy was too fast for her to catch with any of her slower attacks! So there was really no choice on what kind of strikes to use – until the Linoone tried to Tackle her upper body area.

"Sky Uppercut, _now_!" Henry exclaimed immediately.

Just as quickly, Blaziken's claw charged and struck right at Linoone's chin, sending him skyward. However, right as she went after for another round of Double Kick, the persistent little guy struck her right where it hurts with a Slash attack – at around the same time that she hit him with her most powerful swing. Unluckily for her, the strike to her was just enough to ground her for the rest of the match, and Henry was at her side the moment the ref said she was unable to battle, just as Linoone was. A double knockout. Smiling as the ever-prideful Blaziken of his tried to stand in her state, he quickly and gently assisted her in moving over to where the four ponies were relaxing, where she could rest and recover as the battle continued.

"We don't usually get a double KO here," Norman commented, even as he released Vigoroth, the energetic Pokémon ready to go.

"My team and I have been through quite a bit," Henry replied with a smirk, as he sent out Mightyena, knowing his menacing looks would slow down the opponent enough to give them an edge.

"Nice intimidate your Mightyena has there," Norman said, wincing in sympathy for his Pokémon.

"Thanks, we've been working on it for quite some time."

The moment the ref called for the third round to begin, the ponies watch with slight discomfort at the way the two humans were pushing these creatures to essentially bring pain to each other. It wasn't long for Mightyena to be victorous over the Vigoroth, that early edge having been taken advantage of to the fullest extent, and this same advantage was taken over through the rest of the gym battle, even after Henry had been forced to bench Mightyena and bring out Kirlia against Norman's ridiculously powerful Slakoth. Never-the-less, it ended in victory for Henry's team, all of whom cheered at the success of their fifth gym battle.

"Well, congratulations," Norman said with a congratulatory smile as he handed over the gym badge. Grinning widely as he accepted it – thanking the man for such an intense battle – Henry returned his exhausted team members and immediantly started to head back to the mansion.

"Hay, why ain't we headin' fer the hospital?" Applejack asked, the invisibility spell already applied to them.

"There's a healing machine at the mansion already," Henry said, completely calm. "Gotta get there fast, though, don't want them to get any worse. And here, the place to take care of Pokémon is known as the Pokémon Center. It's not any regular old hospital."

"Healing machine?" Fluttershy asked quietly, hovering nearby, very clearly worried.

"It's a piece of awesome technology that heals Pokémon completely."

"...Whoa," Dash interjected. "I wish we had that."

"It only works on Pokémon, Dash."

"Ah, pony-feathers!"

"Pony –" Henry started to repeat her, then burst into chuckles. "That's one way to put it, I suppose."

Once they reached the mansion, Henry showed them the way to the healing machine and how to use it. Twilight, ever the studious student, was eager to learn. Rainbow, however, found all of the "egghead babble" to be very confusing and requested that he put it into simpler terms. Henry's response was to challenge her to learn "egghead babble" so that she wouldn't have to be so confused in the future.

"Be ready to leave tomorrow," He told them, his team relaxing in the garden. "I want to get moving to the next gym in the morning."

"We will wait here for you, sir," Evelyn told him with a nod.

Henry gave an exasperated sigh, "I told you to stop calling me that."

"But I just so enjoy annoying you with it, _sir_."

The teen laughed at her response and her grin, she'd always been good at comebacks like that. The four ponies asked if the other gyms would be like this one, and he told them yes.

"I don't know if I like watching you force them into being so brutal with each other," Twilight told him rather bluntly.

Henry didn't even blink, "I can understand that, that's why there are Pokémon Contests as well."

"...Contests?"

"The main point of a contest is to choose a Pokémon, and show off their power and beauty and whatever else their strong points are to a crowd and to a panel of judges. Sure, the second round involves battles, but they're rarely as intense as the ones in gyms. We should run into one on the way to the next city, so I'll show you there."

The girls decided after a moment that such an idea would be fine, before the five of them split up. Rainbow caught up to Henry after a few moments, though, having wondered for a bit on what to do next.

"Are you going to keep doing the endurance stuff with Taillow?" She asked.

Henry smirked, "What you want me to 'torture' you even more?"

She rolled her eyes, smiling despite herself, before nodding. He told her that, yes, he would be doing more of that training and that, yes, she was more than welcome to join. Maybe even get Twilight or the others to jump in. The two of them continued chatting all the way to the bowling lanes, where a small competition quickly started between the two, and laughing the entire time. Clearly friendship here wasn't going to be much of a problem...


	5. Chapter 5

_**Catching Magic**_

There was a bang that made the ponies shoot straight into alert mode, Fluttershy diving back under the covers in a flash. The other three peeked out of their rooms to spot Henry already up and at 'em outside. The ponies hadn't expected it, while everyone else had and were still asleep – aside from the human's Pokémon team, of course.

"Oh, you're awake," Henry said, once he spotted the four of them, Fluttershy just now peeking out her window. "Sorry about that, accidentally hit something."

Dash, looking perturbed at being awake this early, turned to go back to bed, "Jus' keep it down, 'm tryin' to sleep here."

"Just be ready in an hour, or I'll leave you all behind."

"Are ya'll serious? An hour?" Applejack asked tiredly.

Henry just nodded, focusing on making sure he had enough berries and of the right kind in his pack, and that they were packed right. The girls that were now awake decided to just get ready to leave. They'd have to wake up Rainbow later. Henry raised an eyebrow when he saw Twilight stumbling out to the backyard, looking very much like she was still asleep.

"If you need to wake up, step into the pool or something," He suggested. "Or you can get some soda from the kitchen..."

"Do you have any tea?" She asked, before yawning wide.

Henry nodded and headed to the kitchen, "Try some wake-up stretches. Mightyena's doing them, just follow his example."

Twilight looked over at the wolf-like Pokémon, whom was indeed, stretching. Too tired to really think about what she was doing, she just started to stretch. By the time the human returned with some hot tea, the purple unicorn was far more aware of her surroundings – and looking a bit sore.

"Oww..." She moaned, holding a hoof to her side.

"Stretched too far?" Henry chuckled, holding out a cup of the beverage.

"Yeah..." She said, gratefully taking a sip of drink as she grabbed it in her magic. "Mightyena's brutal with those stretches, you know that?"

"I'm not sure if I should apologize for his stretches or point out that you did them of your own will..."

"Shut up..."

Chuckling lightly as he finished preparing, he went about the mansion, aiming to help the other ponies get up and ready. Applejack appeared to only need a little time in the shower, as she stepped out of her room bright-eyed and ready to go.

"At least _one_ of you is awake," Henry grinned, getting a chuckle from the cowpony.

"Yeah, ah usually get up 'bout this time back home, so it ain't tha' hard for me," Applejack commented. "Ah jus' thought I'd be getting up later as long as we were here."

"Well, every now and then, maybe. But as long as we're travelling together, I like to get up and get going early. It makes it take less time to go between cities."

"That makes sense, but Dash ain't gonna be up early. Ever."

"If she wants to travel with us she will."

"Ya'll're serious about leavin' her behind?" AJ frowned.

"Of course not, but I _do_ want to get moving soon," Henry said, shaking his head. "If all else fails, we could do the cloud thing again, but put the 'leash' on me instead."

"Tha' sounds like a good idea."

Henry gave a nod, "And since Fluttershy can bring a cloud down, we'd just have to move Dash."

"Tha' might be the hard part..." AJ admitted. "She don' like bein' moved when she's asleep."

There was a shrug from the human. They'd figure it out as they went, it wasn't that difficult.

_1234567890987654321_

"Just hold on and we'll get going," Henry commented to the cloud nearby, invisible to get through the town.

"Come back sometime soon, will you, sir?" Evelyn requested. "It does get oh so lonely out here."

"Then go on a date with Ryan or something, I'm sure he'd like that," Henry grinned to her, the grin growing wider as she blushed. If she weren't employed to his family, she would've swiped at him. "Later!"

On his way down the road, he heard behind him, "...That little brat."

He just laughed along with the mares on the invisible cloud that followed him, as he road his bike to head through the city for the next route. It took half the time it did than when they had arrived at Petalburg, if only because he was riding a bike this time. Once out of the city limits, Twilight happily cut off the invisibility spell, ready to go back to sleep.

"Didn't sleep well again?" Henry asked as he glanced up.

"I had the same dream," Twilight nodded, frowning as she did so.

"Had the same dream twice in a row? Hmm... I think there's some sort of belief about that, something like the law of coincidences or something. Maybe if you have it again it actually means something."

"The law of coincidences applies to science, not dreams!" Twilight rolled her eyes, giggling.

"No, it applies to anything that goes under its law. It has nothing to do with being only science, since it's a law about coincidences, of all things. The title alone makes it apply to anything. Besides, in this world, dreams like those are known for being tied to the legendaries and coming true."

"They are?"

"From what I've heard," the human said, grinning at Twilight's huff and Applejack's chuckle.

The ride from there was quiet for a bit, until Fluttershy spotted something off in the distance.

"Uhm... excuse me..." She said, just barely loud enough to catch Henry's attention.

"What's up?" He asked casually.

"Uhm... is... is that normal?"

"Is what normal?" He asked, looking where she pointed. He immediantly came to a halt at what he saw. "No, that is most certainly not normal..."

"Are... the Pokémon over there alright?"

Henry paused to think, a serious look on his face, "I don't know... I think we should check it out."

"What do you think it is?" Applejack asked.

A shrug, "A wild Pokémon probably. In that case it won't be anything to worry about. Otherwise, I don't know what we'll do."

On bike, it took little time to come to a gentle stop at the slope above the smoke. Henry's eyes narrowed at what he saw.

"Umm... who're they?" Dash asked, finally awake.

"Not people you want to be friends with... we better get down there."

"How?"

Henry leaned over the cliff to look down at where the people down there were, and to take a closer look to see how intense the cliff's slope really was. Then he smirked as he backed up the bike.

"Hold on."

The ponies looked at each other, then AJ understood, "Wait, sugarcube, ya'll can't be thinkin' of –"

Too late, Henry was already racing for the cliff, and dashed off the edge, catching the ponies off-guard at the recklessness. There was a slight crashing sound as the back wheel landed, and it certainly caught the attention of the people at the base of the cliff.

"Stop him at once! Capture those four, they could be rare Pokémon!" Ordered the one who appeared to be the leader.

"I don't think so!" Henry cried, grabbing a Pokéball. "Blaziken, Flamethrower, distract them! Twi, break the leash, get over to that machine and destroy it!"

"Don't let them through!"

Chaos had erupted, Henry's six Pokémon were soon released, and the trainer had jumped off his bike and was multitasking between everyone on his team. The girls realized that these people must not be doing something legal for him to be so adamant about stopping them, and Twilight broke the magical leash.

"I'll get us there!" Dash volunteered, quickly launching into action and flying the cloud over to the right spot.

"Ah got this!" Applejack exclaimed, jumping from the cloud. Upon landing in front of the machine, she spun around and bucked it with everything she had – the metal dented. With only a couple more hits, the entire thing crumbled. "Ha! Tha' fancy machine ain't got a chance against an Apple!"

"This isn't over!" Growled a man angrily, a Mightyena leaping for Applejack, teeth bared.

Twilight reacted first as her horn glowed and shot a beam of pure magic at the attacker, knocking him back, "Don't touch my friends!"

"You little –"

"Get lost!" Dash barked, flying up to him and taking no time at all to punch his face in.

Grunting from the pain, the man decided that these four – no, three, the fourth was cowering on the cloud, were a nuisance. And that Henry kid was back... he had to report this.

"Retreat!" He cried, opting to ditch his Mightyena and go straight for the choppers nearby. The others in the red and black outfits followed as quickly as they could.

Henry walked over to the four ponies, whom were starting to relax after the adrenaline wore off. He gave an approving nod to the crushed machinery, openly impressed by the damage Applejack had caused on her own.

"Oh... oh my gosh," Fluttershy said quietly, coming closer to Henry. "Are... are you alright?"

The human blinked and looked himself over. There, on his right forearm, were several puncture wounds. As the adrenaline finally left his system, he winced and grimaced at the pain and the blood. Carefully removing his pack, he opened the top pocket and went straight for the first aid kit. Twilight snatched it out of his grasp with her magic, and made him sit down.

"What happened?" Dash asked, landing, grimacing at the wounds on his arm.

Henry shrugged, "I don't know. I guess I was too focused on making sure my team was alright and dodging attacks at the same time. Besides, they're not all that bad."

That was when Twilight poured the cleansing alcohol on the rather superficial puncture holes, making him hiss and the other girls raise an eyebrow. He just rolled his eyes and waited patiently.

"That's all I can do," The unicorn said after a while, zipping shut the first aid kit and letting the human put it back. "Be careful next time."

"Easily done."

"So, sugarcube, who were they?"

Henry scowled at the machine, "They're a group called Team Magma, and they're hell-bent on reducing all bodies of water to nothing and making the world nothing more than land."

"That's stupid, everypony knows that you can't live without water," Dash scoffed.

"No kidding. That's why they're fighting Team Aqua."

"Let me guess," Twilight said dryly, to which the human nodded.

"We'll have to keep an eye out for them as well," He confirmed, kneeling down by the machine and picking at the ground. "I just wish I knew what they were really after."

Fluttershy gave him a confused look, "What do you mean?"

"Both teams clearly have terraforming technology," Henry said, standing straight as he pulled out his PokéNav. "The map says that this crater is supposed to be a huge lake... but it looks like they used this machine to dry most of it up or something."

"Tha's jus' unnatural," Applejack frowned.

"And with technology that can do _that_, clearly they're not far from changing a lot more than just one lake at a time. Same with Team Aqua, I've seen them take a crater like this and fill it with water from just one or two big machines. I'd have to say they're planning something big..."

"Maybe something with those legendaries you mentioned?" Twilight suggested, although it was clear from her voice that until she saw one of said Pokémon, she would continue to doubt their existence.

Henry shrugged and started back over to his bike, where it lay on its side from where it had crashed. The girls followed shortly, setting up the cloud ride again as they headed back up to the main trail. From there, they headed off to their real destination – Foretree City...

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I apologize for this chapter being shorter than the others, but it didn't seem right to force it to go any longer than this. The next one should be better.


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